All posts tagged ‘It’s a Small World’

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” These are the words Dante and his guide Virgil see inscribed over the gate to the underworld. And when we lived in Southern California, I always imagined the line printed over the entrance tunnel to Disney’s iconic It’s a Small World ride. That’s because I’m a Disney curmudgeon. We were stuck once for eleven minutes in the ride and I left at least four years of my life and a decent-sized piece of my soul in that boat. Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat, having dreamed the tune sung by Gmork from The Neverending Story.

That said, I did once see a heron guard a tourist’s popcorn floating in green/blue Disney “water” until fish arrived, at which point the heron grabbed a fish and flew off — which was pretty cool. So, you know, as Bill Murray says, Gunga galunga — it’s got that going for it.

The app version of the ride ($3.99, multiple platforms) is true to the experience with two very important differences: your child can experience it alone in the privacy of his or her own bedroom with the door closed, and you can make it stop at any point.

Anybody who knows me personally will know that I am an enormous Disney geek. Interestingly, for me it is not so much about the films as it is the theme parks. There are paintings all over our house of the parks, I have a collection of plates and collectibles and several boards full of trading pins. The best present I received this Christmas was a surprise from my husband, a set of figures based on characters who appear only (or mostly) in the parks: the yeti from the Matterhorn, Figment from EPCOT and a Ghost from the Haunted Mansion were included amongst others. So when I heard that Disney was releasing a story app based on one of their most beloved (or possibly infamous) rides, “It’s a Small World,” I absolutely had to try it out.

I will first answer the question that every single person familiar to that ride is currently asking: Yes, it does include the song. However this is a version of the song that has been toned down to more instrumental and melodic background music, rather than the invasive song well-known to Disney park patrons. The music hums away in the background and provides a perfect score to the story without being intrusive. That’s until you get to the very end when the chorus of the original song pipes up on repeat until you hit the menu button and you’re stuck with it in your head for the rest of the day.